How many times have you had the sinking feeling in your heart, whilst buying for a product that you’ve been done in and that had you haggled better or bargained a little more firmly, you would have got good-value-for-money?
The salary is what you are working for. You must take the utmost advantage of the chance to negotiate, to address every aspect of the situation, to ensure that it cannot be more financially beneficial and that you leave no money on the table.
More often than not, discussing money on our own behalf is something that does not come easily to us. We find it awkward and uncomfortable to do so. There is considerable pressure on us and often we leave the negotiating table, settling for a much lesser salary than what we could have eventually managed.
Employers are crafty hands at getting the best services at the lowest price. Any weak spot in the candidate and they will exploit it to the full. So negotiate with confidence. The company understands your worth. That is why you have been chosen amongst the dozens of others who applied for the same opening. You must also understand your worth.
Never underestimate yourself. You have come out trumps amongst fierce competition. You are a winner. Put a price-tag on yourself and expect to get it.
Here are some tips that will ensure that you get the possible salary and that your negotiations skills, or the lack of them, make you lose out on money that is rightly yours.
You Initiate The Proceedings:
The moment the initial niceties are over. Speak with confidence and an assurance in your voice and say, “I’m interested in the job here and I believe that I will be able to take it further with my experience and the qualifications that I have. I am expecting to be paid $10,000. How does it compare with what you are offering for such positions?”
This gets the person thinking. Here’s a man who knows his worth and willing to put a price tag on himself.
This is a powerful and very effective opening statement and will set the tone for the rest of the interview, so ensure that you have rehearsed it well. Write it down and read and read it, until you can say it without the least hesitation and dithering.
Elicit Information From The Other Side Of The Desk:
Somehow get the men talking to you, to quote a figure or the range that they normally offer. Company policies usually prohibit them from exposing or revealing the precise figure of what the company intends to offer, it would not amount to negotiations then, would it?
The answer you will probably get is, “For such posts we pay beginners an x amount and as he gather experience, so much and eventually he could even get as much as much as, so much.”So there you have it. You know what a guy in the first year is likely to get or can expect. You also know what eventually can be the amount you may receive if you continue to work here for a lengthy period of time.
Keep Your Base Price In Mind:
In an auction, especially for art works, there is a base price, below which the piece will not be sold. It can go ten times higher than its base price, but never below its base price.
Always keep in mind the least figure at which you are willing to work and at what amount you are going to call it quits. The amount has to be calculated based on your financial requirements, what your current job is paying you or even on the prospects of salary-raises after some time.
Keep The Door Open:
If the matters come to such a juncture that the company makes it’s final offer and says that it won’t increase it any further and that if you are absolutely sure that you will not be accepting it, just end the interview professionally and graciously. However, keep the door open, in case they are testing the waters and your refusal may just call their bluff.
Say, “Thank you very much; I appreciate the time given to me. But the amount that you are offering me does not motivate me enough to accept your offer. I was willing to go the extra mile, but I don’t think that it will work. I was looking for a mutually beneficial and rewarding career and how I wish an acceptable compensation package could have been arrived at. Hope there’ll be better chances in the future”
The willingness to go the extra mile and your disappointment and being able to work here, will get them thinking, that you may be willing to reconsider if they upped their offer. Many a time, the company will be reluctant to lose a worker, who has come out through the grueling process of interviews and they may just offer you a better package.
You deserve a fair market value and the employer deserves work that is worth the money he is paying. By ensuring that neither gets the short shift, it is a win-win situation for both.
